Bhopal: A 50-metre stretch of road collapsed on the outskirts of Bhopal on Monday afternoon, leading authorities to divert traffic and launch an immediate investigation, police confirmed.

The incident occurred near the Bilkhiria area, within the jurisdiction of Sukhi Sewania police station, approximately 35 kilometres from the district headquarters, according to Manju Chouhan, Sub-Divisional Officer of Police for the Eintkhedi area.

Chouhan stated that the road, constructed by the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC), gave way but fortunately resulted in no injuries, as no vehicles were present at the time.

Rambabu Chaudhary, Station House Officer at Sukhi Sewania, reported that cracks had begun appearing around 11:30 am. ""After being notified, we stopped the traffic on the stretch for a while before it caved in. This is a bypass road connecting Indore and Narmadapuram districts," he said.

An official release later explained that the collapse occurred on one side of a railway overbridge after a failure in the reinforced embankment (RE) wall. MPRDC and local administration officials were quick to respond, barricading the area to prevent accidents and commencing repair work.

Preliminary information reveals that the affected road was built in 2013 by M/s Transstroy Pvt. Ltd. under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) agreement. However, the contract was terminated in 2020 due to the company’s failure to meet contractual obligations.

Sukhveer Singh, Principal Secretary of the state Public Works Department, told PTI that the MPRDC has set up an inquiry team headed by Chief Engineer B.S. Meena and General Managers Manoj Gupta and R.S. Chandel. The team’s findings will guide further action.

The MPRDC’s Managing Director has assured that any evidence of negligence or irregularities will result in strict action against those found responsible.

PTI